Short hops and hard knocks with Red Sox beat writer Ian Browne.

Hi again

Hi to one and all,

I’m in the midst of a family vacation that started in Pennsylvania and has continued into Michigan and will complete itself early next week in Niagra Falls. I will return to active duty on Aug. 23 for the start of the Red Sox-White Sox series in Chicago.

It looks like it’s been an eventful day at Fenway. I didn’t see one pitch from Buchholz but it seems like it was a pretty good debut. Mirabelli getting hurt certainly makes things interesting for a while. It sounds like Kevin Cash has some experience with the knuckleball so perhaps Varitek can stay in his regular routine.

This is also a good experiment going into next year to see how well Wakefield can survive without the security of Mirabelli.

The Wily Mo trade: Well, what can we say besides inevitable? I don’t think it’s fair by any means to say that WMP was a bust in Boston. The guy never had a chance. He needed at-bats and he never got them. I firmly believe that this man will hit between 30-35 homers a season as soon as he gets sufficient at-bats to do so. He is just too raw but he has so much strength. He’s also a better athlete than people realize. I like the guy. He was never anything but a class act in the time he was in Boston.

So what’s the deal with Ellsbury? He’s here for the weekend and then Kielty will replace him in a couple of days? I’m a little out of the loop on this stuff during my extended absence so perhaps you guys can fill me in.

Anyway, flood the comments section over the next few days to keep me in the loop. I’ll probably post again shortly before I return on Aug. 23, but until then, so long. The time with the family has been great. I also miss the job. So I do look forward to returning, but until then, I’ll enjoy the R&R.

Well, it was too obvious to even mention in earlier today… but we’re making Santana look like Cy Young. I guess expecting to hit a guy with a 1-9 record and 8+ ERA on the road was too much to ask for. What we really need is to run into a pitcher with an 0-14 record and 10+ ERA.

Gag-Job is such a loser. He shuld just go back to the dodgers or someone else in the minor leagues. He is horrible, he stinks, he can’t help the sox in any freakin way. Can Oki pitch the 8th and Gag-Job pitch the 9th in Pawtucket?? So if the Yanks hold on, is it 5 games now? Gag-Job is not worth any penny the sox pay him. I’m tired of waitin for him to get better.

dgneubert: We can’t send Gagne down to the minors if he doesn’t have options. If he did, I think we might have already done so.

What’s really bothering me is that he’s consistently using only one pitch at times against specific batters. I have no idea as to why he’s doing that, but heck, I did that in MVP 2005 sometimes and I got smoked…

I think he should be used early in games so he can work his way back into setting up and closing.

as i’ve said repeatedly…francona is an idiot…far and away the worst game pitching staff game mgr i’v e ever seen……blame gagne if u want….who created that sit by leavin him n there? just because he’s there doesn’ t mean you have to use him!!!!

That loss was pretty devastating but instead of dwelling on how awful Gagne is, let’s note that it was good to see Papi/Manny come through in the 8th inning.

Okay and now back to how horrible of a pitcher Eric Gagne is…

He threw 13 straight fastballs to Reggie Willits before retiring him. He throws a 93 mph fastball, you can’t get away with spotting that pitch over the heart of the plate unless you throw 97 or higher.

I am disgusted with Gagne, I don’t blame Tito though since he was once the best closer in baseball, it figures you go with him in the 9th. Obviously Francona was wrong and should go back to having Okajima spot-close games when needed, send Gagne to the 6th inning.

i’ve said it repeatedly but i’ll say it 1 more time…francona is he worst mrg of pitching staffs i’ve ever seen……blame gagne if u want……he didn’t put himself n the game and he didn’t leave himself n there…..this team will NEVER reach its potential with him as mgr…he ***

Is my math wrong or could we have conceivabley been 8.5 games up on the Yanks if Gagne had pitched like he knows how? Instead of being on the verge of making history as one of the worst Sox acquisitions? I think we all want to have faith in Gagne. I don’t think we have to remind him that this is the big leagues and we’re trying to win a division here. But, homeboy’s got to get it together stat. Or he’s going to be the highest paid benchwarmer I’ve ever seen. Here he is in HIS role, the closer . . . . and he blows it . . . . again. There’s no excuses and he’s not trying to make any. Just get the job done, Eric!!! Make us proud of you. Make us want to stand up and cheer instead of booing you off the mound. His performance is so aggravatingly disappointing it makes me want to spit.

gagne was not brought here to close…..i think that’s papelbons job…..and irregardless of what gagne was brought here to do it’s obvious to any reasonably intellligent person that he’s stuggling so why put him in that situation to begin with when you have multiple options?

Can someone please tell me who’s idea it was to bring Gagne here? He’s all washed up! The bullpen was great the way it was performing. Now that this inept fool is here he’s really screwing up the work’s. Horrible move by the front office. And please people smarten up and stop blaming Francona every time something goes wrong.Someone else is pulling the string’s…

What a deflating loss. Gagne is making a habit of taking the excitement out of what should be dramatic wins. Youkilis did foul off that ball in the ninth, but with the way he is hitting, he likely would have struck out on the next pitch, so I don’t think that had an impact on the final outcome. Francona and Gagne did.

pacol, with all the problems the Yanks had most of the first half, and players not playing up to their ability, you would think the S-U-X would have put my Yanks away a long time ago. I never said Farns worth was a S-U-X problem, not surprisingly, the humor went over your head.

Gagne has had a negative impact on the other relievers as well. Okajima and Delcarmen are no longer in the roles in which they had flourished before Gagne’s arrival. The only bright spot of this deal is that the Sox will get two high draft picks when Gagne signs elsewhere in the off-season. Hopefully, his meltdowns do not cost the Sox the division. I wish Francona would go back to using Delcarmen, Okajima and Papelbon as the late inning formula. I know that Papelbon and Okajima were unavailable tonight, and really Francona had to go with Gagne because of the doubleheader, but hopefully he comes to his senses as uses Gagne is a lesser role for the remainder of the season.

smckinny: Actually Gagne was here to close when Papelbon was unavailable.

leonard: Red Sox brass brought him here to because he had a sub 2.00 ERA (heck, I think it was under a 1.50). Granted, I still feel we needed another consistent bat, bullpen help is always a plus. I’d assume that was the logic behind the move.

sentinel: Sorry, there was much humor to me hence I ignored it. Also, I’ve mentioned it plenty of times, but plenty of fans, including myself, won’t count out the Yankees. They have a better offense, and I’ll clearly concede that.

Any team that are as good as the Red Sox and Yankees, they’d make up a good chunk of a 13-15 game deficit. If you felt your Yankees could have been put away, then I don’t know what to tell you. I sure didn’t think it was possible because their hitting could overshadow their pitching for a while (and it did).

how many times has gaqne pitched in the 9th? the only reason he did today was the doubleheader…..he was brought here because theo needed to do something splashy to make it look like he was not sitting on his hands AGAIN…..irregardless of his intented role u don’t bring him in when he’struggling in that sit when you have that many other options……let him get his conf when your up by 5…..if that ever happens.

You can give Francona an assist in tonight’s debacle. During the day game, Papelbon threw 2 pitches in the top of the eight. At that point, he should have gotten Snyder up. Pedroia’s homer gave us a 4 run lead with 1 out in the bottom of the eigth. As soon as he hit it, I said to myself… “We bring someone else in for the 9th, up 4 runs, and we save Papelbon for use in the nightcap”. Instead, Papelbon pitches the 9th up 4 runs and Gagne blows another in the nightcap. It would have been a little creative… but I think you have to get creative when you actually want to win games. Gagne is single-handedly flushing our season down the toilet. I think he has blown more saves in a week than our entire team had to this point. Unreal. Thanks again Theo for ruining the best part of our entire team.

The division still isn’t close enough, but using the logic that if the Yankees were so good, the division should be “1” is weak as well. They are playing teams where their lead should not, under any means, increase, only decrease. Of course when you start out 5-3, that helps keep it from decreasing.

The same people baying that Francona is showing too much loyalty are the same people who were calling for Pedrioa’s head. The fact is he knows a lot more than you, as do the scouts. Right now Cora would be our every day second baseman, batting .240 or whatever his career average is, if Francona had listened to people here. I think Francona will handle the situation. As the saying goes, manage like fan and end up being a fan.

Rayman – imagine he took Papelbon out after 2 pitches and Snyder came in and gave up 3 runs for one out (like, say, in Baltimore last weekend) – then what? You would be complaining he took him out too early. Make sure of the first win and worry about the second one later. Besides, they never would have Papelbon pitching twice in one day, no matter how many pitches he threw the first time.

Scminny – you say “as i’ve said repeatedly…francona is an idiot” = I know you’ve said it repeatedly – can you not come up with something either new and/or prefereably constructive to say?

Only the Sox could pull this one off:
What was the Sox’ strength at the trade deadline? The bullpen. The weakness? The offense, especially late in the game. Somehow Theo could not find a hitter to improve the offense, so he gets a reliever to strengthen the already strong bullpen; to make the Sox invincible with a lead late in the game. Sox fans all over RSN are scratching their heads asking “How is Gagne going to help the offense?” How, indeed! Well, the odd thing is that since Gagne has been with the Sox the offense HAS improved! They now regularly come back late in games, score in the 7th, 8th, even the 9th!!! Yay! But wait, and here is where it gets truly Sox-ian, Gagne gives up runs in bunches, no, more than that, he vomits up leads like he is the pitching equivalent of Ipecac. The Sox make a come-back, take the lead, and their brand-new good-luck charm coughs it up like he just swallowed a frog! Only in Beantown!!

Hey guys sorry I was away for a while.How are you all doing?I hate to see Gagne flush our division lead away.its tough.I think our front office concetrated too much on pitching.Instead of adding a bat,he added Gagne and look where that has gotten us.Darn it.

I am still hurting over last night’s loss. Was it just me? or did alot of you out there in Red Sox nation get pumped after Manny’s 9th inning hit and immediately wonder who was going to close this game? When I say Gagne warming up, my heart jumped out of my throat!! Look, I love this team but Terry Frankcoma and the front office have had a direct impact on why we haven’t closed out this divisional race. I can’t remember the last time the Sox swept a doubleheader but Terry and Theo made sure it didn’t happen. The team f’d with it’s strengths and ignored its weaknesses. When you get greedy, karma has a way of biting you big time. The Sox’ recent timely hitting keeps getting cancelled out by Gagne’s timely meltdowns. You couldn’t have written an insanity play better than this. I know that Paps needs the rest but it was plain stupid not to put Timlin in there especially how well he has been pitching as of late. C’mon team….the Sox are only clutch on rare occasions, don’t f’it up by forcing an ill advised acquisition into the game just to try to prove you didn’t mess up.

Just an aside, I’m NOT saying the umpiring is why the Sox lost last night (manager is to blame)but why is the umpiring in general so **** INCOMPETENT. You could make the argument that they are bad everywhere so all teams are affected equally, but why continue this trend of ineptitude. We need instant replay!! You could give each manager 2 shots per game or have a 5th umpire manning the cameras at all time. Last night’s Youk strikout was a JOKE!!! I just don’t get it. When both benches and 37,000 people know you blew the call, own up to it IN REAL TIME!!! If FRANKCOMA had a good feeling he was going to be thrown out anyway, he should have had someone in the clubhouse pass him an IPhone or whatever and play back that blunder to the idiot at first base. You might as well call him on his incompetance even if you get thrown out. Saying instant replay takes too long or cost too much is out and out BS. 2 shots per team per game is not going to slow anything down. Managers are only going to mostly use it when they have the clear televised evidence to back it up. They delay the game anyway with the pre/post ejection tirades.

I said last week that I wasn’t going to say anything negative about any of the players or about the team; gagne is is making this extremely difficult.
.. and I see that we have the canker back here posting too!

We are still in the lead, and we control our own destiny in this race. Hold on everyone I think this is going to be a bumpy ride.

As far as today goes I think that Schilling has to be close to perfect and really stay ahead of the batters.

I think that you expose a good point about Instant Replay Akihiro, but I also do tend to think that it will delay the game somewhat. If you watch alot of the RSOX games most of them seem to go almost 4 hrs as it is (I enjoy every minute of
watching too). Don’t you think that IR would make it last even longer?? Though I do agree we need it, Instant replay would need finely tuned restrictions. It is really something to think about.

I think that Theo and Francona are putting him in to have him get his footing here, BUT NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO CODDLE A PLAYER OR BUILD HIS CONFIDENCE. We are in a Pennant race and we need the players in there who are going to GET THE JOB DONE!!!

I wondered why they put Paps in game 1 and left him in for the 9th. Didn’t seem like a wise move then and certianly not now!!

well everybody else can hate on him all want but give me gardy little any day….he made that mistake one time…..he did’t do it week after week and game after game….i’ll say it again one of francona’s flaws ( one of many ) is he puts players feelings ahead of the good of the team….. .if your a sox fan u better hope 500 ball the rest of the year makes the playoffs because with francona’s incompetence and this teams off struggles i got a feelin that’s about what you’ll see…..do you realize that in 13 + inn against 2 of the worst starters in the AL ( sonnanstine, santana ) in the past week this juggernault has a total 3 runs? at least we have that offensive powerhouse bobby kielty on the way though….thanks THEO!

it sounds like hinesite now but can somebody explain to me why papelbon couldn’t have come in to face 1 or 2 hitters last nite? the guy has pitched a total of 43 inn’s this…43! not that it even occured to tito to bring in one of the 2 or 3 best closers in baseball when gagne is getting shelled….oh and he also also has the highest K ratio in the game….that might be kinds imp with RISP.

That’s not hindsight you speak of….that is your common sense kicking in and a blatant disregard of ignoring common sense by Red Sox management. Ellen is right in that there is value in putting a player in a game in key situations to build up their confidence but THERE IS A RIGHT PLACE AND TIME TO DO SO AND THIS IS NOT THAT TIME!!! Francoma’s Mantra about managing in a marathon and not a sprint is getting really really old. He seems to think the Sox have the luxury of blowing these games but HELLO??? The Yanks aren’t going to let up and there are less than 40 games left…it IS A SPRINT!! Frankcoma is like that frog in a pot of cold water….the stove has been turned on….the water is slowly getting hotter…by the time he realizes the water is boiling, he will have lulled himself into denial and it will be too late. MAKE BETTER MANAGEMENT DECISIONS OR THE RED SOX WILL BE REDDER THAN BOILED LOBSTERS!!!

Why not just bring up Kielty to begin with? Why the extra shuffling of players? Or keep Ellsbury up.
Willy Mo may well hit 30-35 homers a season with sufficient AB’s. He’ll probably also set a new all-time season strikeout record…

Say what you want about how they are using Papelbon, but aside from the Baltimore game (when a strikeout was needed or else the game was over and Papelbon had only throws 3 pitches the previous day), you have to like what you see from Papelbon in mid-August.

Think back to last year at this time when he was blowing back-to-back saves against the Royals. This was due to overuse and a dead arm. This year, he is fresh and has maintained dominance consistently.

When it comes time for the playoffs, I’m sure Francona will not baby Paps. He will come in for 4 or 5 out saves, and pitch in back-to-back games. Papelbon is arguably our most valuable player, and you’re supposed to protect your stars. IF and WHEN the Red Sox win the AL East and are in the playoffs, all of these annoying blown saves by Gagne will seem like a distant memory when Papelbon is throwing 97 mph smoke in the ALDS.

brendan…sorry but unfortunately “idiot” is about the nicest most constructive adjective i can come up with for him….anything else i would wanna use would probably get bleeped out….. its just conjecture i suppose but IMO his managerial decisions have cost this team 4 games in the past week…..2 in balt, TB wed, and last nite….if they didn’t didn’t cost them the games they certainly didn’t put the team in the best postion to win which is kinda his job….you might say players have to execute but mgr’s have to read players, especially pitchers, and know when to use them.

I think that Francona’s decisions of late are at least questionable. But I didn’t like the Gagne trade when it happened, and I still don’t like it. This year, Gagne is not pitching like he did, when was it 2-3 years ago?, when he had that ungodly and filthy number of saves. I just don’t see the fit here for him. Please PROVE ME WRONG ERIC!! Because we’re stuck with him and his big paycheck for now. In todays mind, he is not the Eric Gagne that we saw previously and not what we need the way he is now!

I like your enthusiasm and positive outlook. you’re right about Paps…keep him fresh for the stretch run and playoffs. But we have to make sure we get to the playoffs. The Sox are a good team…they still have the best record in baseball IN SPITE of Frankcoma. McKinny sees what I see. Glaring examples in key situations where a manager has a direct impact on the game and he has failed misably to make the right situational call or worse yet train his players on the fundamentals and situational small ball. C’mon Terry…it’s not hard…runners in scoring position w/less than 2 outs…they need to get in. And don’t get me started on your mistakes with Gagne.

Sox management got greedy by signing Gagne…and ignored their other needs. Yes, we are stuck with him. Oki and Timlin should be setting up Paps or giving him a rest on consecutive days…have Gagne pitch mop up…he can get his confidence back that way. Sox front office ….you screwed with a great bullpen and now….Karma….c’mon LETS RIGHT THIS SHIP RED SOX NATION!!!!

1-0, 2-0, 2-1, 4-1, 5-4, 7-5 . . . . ***. On the positive side the team has regrouped and battled back during the past weeks games. Francona desicions are questionable, yes, but not totally dervastating. He was limited to Gagne and Timlin for the latter game, since Oki and Paps(who recorded a 4 out save) were used in the earlier game. I would have more secure with Timlin pitching, because of his ressume as of late.
When Willits put on the 13 ptch AB, Gagne was starting to wane. He mostly threw fastballs which indicated to me that his control was off and was trying to regain it. the turning point was when Aybar reached third with 1 out. Gagbe knew that unless he got 2 K’s Aybar would score, on a fly out etc, and with Figgins up, who is a solid contact hitter it made Aybar scoring almost inevitable. Gagne lost his confidence, thinking “what the heck, its hopeless” . . . . . so he quit.

When Delcarmen added to the lead I was distraut, but kept the faith . . .and was rewarded with a 4 run rally.

When Gagne worked himself into trouble, I did the same (however the opposite happened). I kept faith when we rallied off Rivera ealy in the season, and hit those consecutive HR’s.

Being a sports fan will have its ups and downs, tahts just what a fans life is like, niot only us Sox fans, although we’ve had more than our share.

My point is . . . . KEEP THE FAITH, NOTHING IS STRONGER . . .

P.S. remember ’04, not jus the WS ring, but the 3-0 deficit that was overcome.

RS:everyone here knows that I’m a true believer!! I never have and never will lose my faith in the Sox!! I am the self appointed Captain of the Cheerleaders on this blog, and I never ever count Our Sox out until it is black and white that we’re out of it!!!
We have the kind of team that can take this thing all the way!!! There is more heart in this team than in the entire ML.

as far as gagne goes….who would be pitching if he weren’t there? point being he’s there but you don’t HAVE to use him….particularly when it’s so obvious he’s struggling….and ESPECIALLY in tight games….there are only 40 games left….each game especially winnable games like last nite are critical….you have to win and/or lose with your best…..so while i was all for limiting papelbon early this is a critical time and he needs to be used more IMO…otherwise he’ll have plenty of time to rest starting in oct…..not sugg he pitch everyday but enough is enough with gagne…..it’s great to have faith and be positive and i’m positive that if their mgr gets his head out of his *** and they start hitting and executing the way they have the potential to that they will be fine…..but they are 33 and 29 over that span of games and i personally don’t think that type of winning %will get it done over the last 40. not being neg just realistic.

There are times when Sox baseball becomes Theatre of the Absurd, and this Gagne situation is one of those times. Think about it. A reliver of Gagne’s status would be doing poorly if he gave up a run every third time out. We’d be unhappy with that. But his performance so far, at a critical time in the season, has been so far beyond “doing poorly” that it is borderline comical. Yet Tito(maybe at the bidding of Theo) keeps running him out there. It feels like I’m witnessing Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting For Gagne(Godot)”; it makes no sense.

One thing I’ve learned about the Sox is to expect the unexpected, so Gagne may come out next time, and as we cringe, start to pitch us to the playoffs. Don’t hold your breath, however.

I assume all of you out there have been Sox fans for a while and this sort of thing is what distinguishes Red Sox baseball from the other boring teams. Take the post Stienbrenner Yankees, for instance–BORING, machine-like, corporate baseball(except maybe for A-Rod’s goofy antics). Would you like to be a Pirates fan? Even more boring. So take heart RSN, this is what makes the Sox so charming.

Ps Vince, no need to take offense and defend the Yankees. It just felt right to take a cheap shot there. It’s been a while.

I definitely wouldn’t want to be a Cubs fan. Talk about heartbreak!! But they’re right there now chasing the Brewers. This could end up being their year. That would be a great series, Sox vs Cubs, don’t you think?? Two teams who have suffered more than any others.

Ellen, I used to think that if the Cubs and Sox met in the WS they’d both lose. That was pre-’04, of course.

Colorado is doing well, thanks for asking. Tell your brother to make the trip up to Longmont, or Wrongmont as we call it. It’s worth the ride. If he needs the address I’ll give it to you. I don’t know if it’s appropriate on Ian’s blog, but that hasn’t stopped me before.

The Sox will prevail, don’t worry. They just won’t do it without some drama.

Think the Cubs are a year or two from the big one. Couple of pitchers and a bat or two, if they do it right. Sox should be there this year, but the bats have to start being consistant. I’m still behind you Eric,,but you are kind of pushing my faith. Go get em Sox!

Wow….Last night, what the hey happened there? A great comeback in the 8th by the Sox against a very good bullpen and then Gagne showed up. Papelbon was unavaiable during the night game because Terry Francona mismanaged the day game. Why was Papelbon used for the 9th against the Angels during the day game?

Francona’s beef was with with the 1b umpire and I don’t know why. Francona should have been arguing with the home plate umpire. I can’t believe the home plate umpire didn’t see or here the Youklis foul tip. The home plate umpire appealed to the 1b umpire and his job is to say whether Youklis went around or not. His job isn’t to say whether it is a foul tip or not.

Gagne lost his composure a little bit on the mound and I think that hurt him. Gagne has his hands directly involved with 3 Red Sox losses in the last 7 days.

Here’s a thought,, send Eric to the Dodgers (where he did very well), and get back D. Lowe. He was, and still is, kind of scary during the regular season, but when the big games come up he is one of the best. Of course, this wouldn’t get past waivers, but sometimes its nice to fantasize a little!

Lowe of course was HUGE in the post-season for the Red Sox. Epstein’s descion to say see ya to Lowe was not one of his better moves. Obviously the Sox front office knew of his off the field stuff and they didn’t approve of it.

Another thing regarding Francona’s moves yesterday. Why would you use your 2 best relievers in the first game and not have them avaiable for the night game. Use either Papelbon or Okajima during the day game and whichever one you decide not to use, you have him available for the night game. That game last night I put directly on Francona and nobody else. That to me is a classic case of mismanagement and that isn’t the first time of course and the scary thing it will not be the last time as well.

i hate to be redundent but gagne isn’t putting himself in the games….if you needed a pinch hitter late in a game would you send up a 200 hitter in a 0 – 20 slump when you have multiple options? i doubt it….well francona might…..but most wouldn’t……as a mgr you have to recognize who gives you the best chance to be successful…..i don’t care what he’s done in the past….this is the present and he’s obviously not on his game so why would you REPEATEDLY put him in that sit? i just pray tonite is one sided one way or the other because i’ve been close to pullin an elvis on my TV watching tito give away close games with rediculously poor game mgt.

No Lowell or Pedroia in the lineup tonight aka our two hottest hitters will not be starting.

Hopefully Manny and Papi still have some big hits left in their bats. K-Rod will most likely not close tonight since he has thrown so many pitches in the past 2 nights, maybe the Angels will have Shields close. This is the type of game that is important Schilling gives us at least 6 innings and we run Weaver out of the game early to burn up the Anaheim bullpen even more.

I wonder why Mikey and Dustin are out??,please God, no injuries NOW!!!! Don’t we go to Yankee stadium for 3 next weekend???? We need to pick up a couple of agmes before then!!
Let’s go bats, LET’S GO REDSOX, LET’S GO!!!!!

Actually Ellen the Sox visit N.Y. on Aug. 28-30. It’s not injuries with Pedroia and Lowell, it’s Francona giving these guys a game off. When was the last time Lowell was given a day off? Of course the Sox with Pedroia want to keep him fresh and with his results this year, Francona is doing the right thing.

god…i am so sick of hearing about hearing about pitch counts and getting to the other teams bullpen…..what’s wrong with hitting the starter?…..in case people haven’t noticed there are other teams out there with pretty good pens…..this team needs to go up there looking to hit the ball….period….but the won’t happen…..my prediction for tonite…… 5 – 3 angels.

Hey all: Regarding Tito’s ejection last night: Do you think he’s going after Atlanta’s Bobby Cox’s record?? I don’t know about where you live, but on sports radio down here in So. Fl. they were bringin it up all over the place. Some of the dialogue was very funny!!!

Wow!! This is not looking good. I think they need to ask Pedroia and Lowell to go the extra mile tonight. We need their bats in the game. We CANNOT go back to where we were in April; 4 games ahead of the Yankees!!

What a great loss for the Red S-U-X last night!!! Once again Eric “Don’t call me Farnsworth” Gagme blew up again. What a bunch of chumps!!!!! Tonight You guys are 5-0 down, what a great weekend!! Go Yanks!!!!!!!

One last thing, someone is making postings that have a @aol.com acount trying to impersonate me and look bad. That person better stop if he/she knows what’s good for them.Just disregard those postings they are bogus, and if I found who it is, that person is in a lot of trouble!!

Apparently my last posting was deleted for no reason, but let me inform you guys there is some idiot trying to impersonate me using my sign on. I don’t have an aol.com account so disregard it if you see it.

Last night’s game was great as Eric ” Don’t call me farnsworth” Gagme blew up again. I love it!! Hopefully he will continue his sorry ******* for the rest of the season. I bet quite a few of you were jumping up and down when the S-U-X got him thinking you got over on my Yanks. Guess again. LOL!!!!

For as bad as Friday nights loss was, this comeback win (knock on wood) makes up for it in a big way. Last night was exactly like Friday in Baltimore, and last week Beckett pitched a gem to get over that terrible loss. I think tonight the credit must go to Papi and Manny for getting the sour taste out of the mouth from yesterday.

Great comeback tonight. I have to agree with you though, rizzo. Why Pap? ****, put in Kyle Snyder and give him something to chew on. Regardless, it’s a good win, particularly with Ortiz and Manny starting to show life.

More clutch hitting from our 3-4 guys, that’s a great sign. Also, the 8th inning has become the Sox new inning to put up crooked numbers.

Why was Papelbon used tonight? If it’s a 1-run game tomorrow, who’s Tito going to call on? If it’s Paps, that’s 3 games in a row. If it’s Gagne, Francona must be high. Okajima has thrown a lot of pitches in two days, Timlin is too old to go two days in a row. Delcarmen?

Remy was saying that once the Sox get Papelbon up and throwing in the bullpen, they will always send him out regardless of the score. Tonight was a prime example of that, as he came in with a 5-run lead. Not too intelligent, that’s a job for Snyder to come in and mop up. If Gagne hadn’t thrown nearly 40 pitches last night, I would have said the 5-run lead in the 9th would be the perfect time for him to come into a game and get his confidence back.

I had the gameday on in the office and I took a peak now and then. When I saw Papelbon in the 9th I thought that Tito might be a little gun shy and did not want to see another lead get blown. Also, in the back of his head he may be thinking he’ll need Snyder for tomorrow. Senor Ez could have a real short day tomorrow. The Angels are hitting well,it seems, and you know how the senor gets lit up the second time thru the order.

Arnie, you are correct about why Francona didn’t use Snyder. Since Tavarez is making a spot start, that leaves the bullpen one man short. And, in case Tavarez does struggle, he will need to turn to Snyder, who will be Boston’s lone long man on Sunday. I’m glad Papelbon pitched the ninth. We was already warmed up. No reason to not use him. Even if Gagne was not lit up again on Friday, he was unavailable because he threw so many pitches. Ditto for Delcarmen.

IMO, the reason that Francona used Pap with a 5 run lead is because he/management are bound and determined to keep putting Gagne in pressure situations until he snaps out of it. They already made up their minds they will use Gagne on Sunday if necessary, period.

I think that is dumb formula management. But, on the other hand, Francona sticks with his guys until they come out of it. Apparantely Sox management feels that it is not yet time to think tactically, and there is still enough time to think strategically, getting Gagne in shape. I hope that is not fatal logic — I suspect it might be.

Anyway, when are they going to stop coddling Pap — are they going to not pitch him two days in a row in the playoffs? They are so fearful of overwork and injury (that unless they know something we don’t) — they might just caution themselves into an early exit.

It is marathon, the season — or maybe its like a horse race — you don’t start whipping your horses until final stretch, whatever that is in baseball!!

I reallu don’t understand the borderline obsessive dislike for Francona. It’s funny how a lot of people are saying – “he’s an idiot – he should have used Timlin”. Begging your pardon but weren’t a lot of people saying that Timlin was finished two short months ago?

By the way, we really need the Tigets to win today, because with Tavarez on ther mound, Cash and Kiely in the line up, Paps and probably Okajima unavailable, and with the Sox facing a very good pitcher, our chances are not strong.

Brendan, you’re right about the Timlin thing and personally, I don’t think he made a bad decision with Gagne. The setup was perfect for him, all he had to do was perform. However, he has made a lot of questionable managerial decisions and if you’re watching the game today, you’re seeing one unfold right before your eyes.

What is Tavarez doing out there? Yeah, yeah, Wakefield is 18-2 vs. Rays and this sets up the rotation for NY at the end of the month if it doesn’t rain, and nobody gets a sore arm etc. etc. etc. There is no guaranty Wakefield wins tomorrow or that something won’t happen to alter the rotation between now and the end of the month. Why isn’t Drew playing today?

If the Yankees win today and the Sox lose, it’s no different than losing to the Yankees head on. My problem with Francona is that he doesn’t always give the Sox the best chance to win, and you see that today.

Drew isn’t in because of the lefty. Billy Beane in the Boston Globe today spoke very highly of Kielty against lefties. I also would think Kielty would be in the lineup tomm night vs Kazmir and the Devil Rays. Kielty will be have a nice impact on this team for sure. One of those nice little role players and knows his role nice and he will be a fan favorite for sure. A former M.V.P. of the Cape Cod League is Kielty.

well in my case it’s not borderline dislike….it’s total dislike….today is a perfect example….who has been the worst starter all year? tavares….a critical game when you consider you’re getting ready for a 10 game trip and you trot out your worst possible starter …..who has been your hottest hitter over the past 10 games or so…..drew and he’s sitting…..14 mm a year for a guy and you sit him for bobby kielty who couldn’t even get in the a’s lineup because you think he ( drew ) can’t hit lefties? you gotta be kiddin me….francona is just like theo…they plan/play for a future that never seems to get here.

Yeah a lot of people were saying Timlin was horrible a few months ago, but that’s because he was. In the last couple months though he’s been very effective and proven he can get through innings now. Where as Gagne has only shown mental midgetry since coming to Boston. With each win crucial now, you should go with the hot hand.

I would agree totally about starting Tavarez today. That to me makes very little sense. Of course the Sox are getting there rotation set vs N.Y. After watching Schilling last night does anyone want him on the mound in N.Y.? I know I don’t want him out there, he’ll be out by the 4th inning anyway. Schilling looked very old last night and had nothing on his ball last night.

I was one that thought Timlin was past his time but obviously he has proven me wrong and that is a good thing. I would rather have Timlin out there over Gagne and I thought I would never say that but I am. Timlin has proven the last month or so that he can still get the big outs late in the game.

and as far as the rotation for NY….that’s part of this org’s ( theo and tito ) problem they worry more about a future that may be irrelevent ( if they don’t start playing better ) than they do about today.

is there a better team in MLB at making an opp pitcher look great?…oh well another 500 series…….actually you can’t blame it on tavares though surprisingly……he pitched much better than expected…..it’s hard to win if you can’t score.

There’s no point in giving Varitek back-to-back days off if you’re just going to have him pinch hit (and ultimately catch the last 2 innings of a game).

He has played 3 games in about 30 hours, the guy deserves a break. As bad as Cash looks, hopefully he can contain the knuckleball tomorrow.

I saw an interview with Kielty where he basically stated he’s happy to be a role player on the Red Sox. That’s a good sign, as he seems like another character guy who might not set the world on fire but does the little things. He made a great catch in the 1st and has 2 base hits so far.

My problem with Drew is he never seems to have any passion. He just kind of goes through the motions. Sometimes I really wonder if the guy cares at all. He was the same way with the Dodgers. It’s like he plays baseball because he can. Not because he want to.

Dudes,I think the Yanks will smoke us.Lets face it,our only Starter that has done well against them this year oddly enough is Julian Tavarez.Unless we can out-slug the Yanks,I do not think we are going to win.I keep feeling that we might just need to settle for the wild card.This is the part of the season where the Yankees pull it out somehow.I really hate this.

This team is in some serious trouble and need to turn it around now, or they will quickly find themselves out of the playoff hunt. I am not throwing in the towel but you can’t play basically 5oo ball (38 – 33) since June 1st and think you will get to the post season.

i thought home field went to the team with the best overall record unless that team is a wild card?..irregardless if this team continues to play 500 baseball it’ll be a moot point…they won’t make the playoffs…..and right now that looks like a distinct possibility.

Haha now the Sox aren’t even making the playoffs according to some of you? The sky is falling.

We just split a series with the 2nd best team in baseball. While taking 3 out of 4 would have been nice, we are going into Tampa Bay (a team we’ve owned all season) while the Yankees have to head out west and play the Angels.

Gagne looked better this outing, although he left that changeup he threw to Izturis way too far up in the zone. He got the strikeout though and struck out the side after some baserunners reached.

He has not recorded one clean inning since he’s joined the Red Sox. It’d be nice if Gagne could do that for starters, then they can worry about putting him in close situations.

this is not a case of the yankees “pulling it out” this is the sox choking their guts out plain and simple…..yes NY has been hot but if this team had played just decent ball the last 2 mos the lead would be 8 – 10 games….it’s just sad.

Well Kinny your absolutely right.At one point in the season we was on pace to win 115 games.If we hadnt choked offensively for such a long time and started playing like the Pittsburgh Pirates,we woulda still had a heck of a lead.

zachary….that kind of mental approach is why this team is in the sit they are….and why they’ve tanked at the end of the season 2 years in a row…..no sense of urgency……..yeah they have a pretty good record against TB…they’re also facing pitchers tom and tues that they put up a total of 3 runs against this past week in 2 games….you really think that’ll get it done again?

Yeah it’s make or break time. They need to win the next two series before they get to NY. I’m definitely worried, but not giving up yet. The stretch run is a huge test for them and how they handle it and the pressure from NY will speak a lot about this team. If they fold and miss the playoffs than they don’t deserve to be there and it’s they’re own fault.

this team needs to go no worst than 6 & 1 against TB and Chi IMO….. i figure the yankees will do no worst that 4 and 3 over that same span…..point being as mentally weak/fragile as this team is if they go there ( NY ) with a 3 – 4 game lead it’ll likely be really ugly.

Tomorrow against Kazmir will be tough. I don’t care what team you are going against that guy. I don’t expect a lot of runs. Best we can hope for is Kaz only goes 6 or 7 innings and then we abuse their awful bullpen.

i don’t think anyone ( well not me ) has “given up”…..just simply pointing out that if they continue to play 500 ball over the rest of the season they will not make the playoffs…..that’s just a fact….they do have a 4 game lead….there are 38 games left…..38 games ago they had a 10 or 11 game lead….do the math.

Smckinny – seeing as you thought Frnacona was way off having Kielty in there, and Kielty got two hits and took away a home run, will you do the honorable thing and say you were wrong? Come on, just three little words – “I was wrong”. Give it a try, you know you want to.

By the way, I am convinced you are a Yankee fan who is trying to get Red Sox fans down for the **** of it.

Maybe you idiots should bring back Willy Mo to pitch along with Gag-me. Your pathetic lead is down to four, and shrinking fast. If you get into a slugfest with the Yanks you will lose. All of a sudden the Yanks bullpen looks a whole lot better, and the offense keep rolling. Maybe we’ll give you guys Villone, and Gag-me’s twin brother Farnsworth.

Whoever actually thinks the Red Sox will miss the playoffs is a total *****.

As a Red Sox fan I am not happy with there play in last 2 months. If they keep playing the way they have they will be out of the playoffs in the 1st round. We all can see that. The biggest concern with this team is getting guys in when they’re on base. That has been there problem from the beginning of the season and here in mid August it still is there problem. There inability to come up with the big hit, it is that simple folks. Saunders is a good pitcher but he isn’t that good. The Red Sox made him look very good today. Kazmir tomm. night and he owns the Sox, especially down at Tropicana Field. Of course the Sox will be looking to get his pitch count up and get him out by the 7th inning and then those no nothing arms from the pen come in. Wakefield as we all know owns the Rays. Those young hitters have no patience when it comes to facing Wakefield. They swing very early in the count and that plays into the hands of Wakefield.

The Sox in the next 7 games should go 5-2 while the Yankees go 3-4. The lead will be 6 when Boston hits N.Y. and all Boston has to do is avoid the sweep, if they do that the Yankees pick up 1 game.

if you think this team is a playoff lock you’re drinkin some pretty good kool-aid….certainly they should have been BUT if they play the rem games at the same % they’ve played the last 2 mos they’ll likely wind up with 94 or 95 w’s…..that’s by no means a lock for the wild card and it certainly won’t win the div IMO……suppose they do get in via the wild card after having & blowing a 14 game lead do you really think they’ll be a threat to anybody? mentally, their weakpoint, they’ll be toast…..if they somehow manage to blow the div with the pitching they’ve had this year they are done! and over the last 60 games they prob SHOULD have been about 35 and 25 if not better but their not…hope your right about the 6 game adv…..got a feelin they’ll need it.

I’m drinking some good stuff here in Florida but it isn’t kool-aid. lol….

I have alot of confidence in them making the playoffs. We’ll see how the season plays out though. If they continue to play the way they have, as I wrote earlier they’ll be out in the 1st rd. Oritz has really had a good run of it late, grand slam last night and if he continues to pick up the pace, I do like there chances alot better.

I think Gagne has too much quality stuff to continue to struggle. He hasn’t earned my confidence but in time I think he will. D-Rays and White Sox the next 7 games, 5 wins for sure.

brendan….first of all i am the furtherest thing from a yankee fan you’ll find….. as my red sox golf bag and tat will attest to…..but having been a sox fan for years i’m also a realist…..and anyone who thinks they are a lock for the playoffs much less the div is not being realistic….they’re dreamin……if they continue to play the way they have been they will not make it……also what i said was 14 mm a year for drew and you sit him against lefties…..i will never get that…..just to humor you though i was wrong about kielty…for today!…..actually i have no prob with the guy…..my only point about him was that theo’s solution to find a productive bat was a career 250 singles hitter…. who couldn’t even crack the a’s lineup……i’m glad he had a good game and hope he gets two hits every time out…..eventually someone will be on 2nd or 3rd for him to drive in.

I’m just going to throw this out there, because it’s the way I feel: the Red Sox are a lock to make the playoffs.

Anyways, it’s generally not the best team which wins the World Series, it’s the hottest team. And if you want an optimistic outlook, look at it this way: the Red Sox have roughly 40 games left in order to get hot and peak as the playoffs begin. Do you think the Yankees can continue to play at this torrid pace for the last 70 games of the season?

The baseball season is one of peaks and valleys, the Yankees are experiencing a peak right here and the funny thing is, the Red Sox aren’t even in a valley. They are on even ground, maybe even standing on some sort of ant hill. The Devil Rays are the Devil Rays and the White Sox are an absolute mess right now, so take solace in that and keep your fingers crossed for a 5-2 or 6-1 road trip entering the Bronx.

Hey fellow Sox fans, I’m home from work! And I assume you are all sleeping uneasily. So I have to say, take a deep breath RSN and pull your collective self together. The true facts are that the Sox have been playing pretty good baseball the last 2-3 weeks. I know, there was the Gagne triple meltdown and Matsuzaka’s dreadful start, the Lugo errors, Manny’s baserunning. Youklis’ downward spiral. But overall things are coming together. 5 great starts in a row. The hitting!!(Sunday excepted) Late inning rallies. Gagne finally pitched an inning without runs. Generally good bullpen work. Even with the disappointing losses the Sox have been coming back the next day and putting up a fight. You’ll see in the next week or so the Sox will start to put it together. Gagne will figure it out and the bullpen will settle down. Papi and maybe Manny will start to make pitchers fearful again. Drew will continue to raise his average. Lowell will be Lowell. Pedroia will be a pest. Ellsbury will give the team a spark.
Yes, they’ll have to pick it up some and they’ll need to get on the same page but this team has too much talent and (I hope) too much heart to just lay down and die. They will be there at the end, you’ll see.

Regarding Francona: I agree that his habit of leaving pitchers in the game until they have completely lost it is maddening, but his patience with players has shown many times that he knows what he is doing. Sometimes he makes bad decisions, but hey, who doesn’t. Overall, he is a good manager though I don’t agree with all that he does.

So there you have it, Sox fans. Things are looking up and you heard it here, well maybe not first, but you heard it here.

Kielty and Tavarez made Francona look like a genious yesterday. It’s too bad a nice effort by Julian was wasted.

The Yankees had a hiccup in the past week and the Sox still lost some ground.

Now it’s crunch time. Over the next week the Yankees go to LA and Detroit. The Sox go to TB and Chicago. The formula is simple. The Sox need a better record over the next week.

I think the Francona/Epstein maneuver to line up the rotation for the Yankees series is dangerous. They need to pay more attention to what’s going on now and quit thinking about two weeks from now. Today’s wins are as important as wins in NY.

T0 Boston, From Minnesota,The YANKEES ARE COMING!THE YANKEES ARE COMING!The RED SOX look tired,Schilling looks tired.It is a marathon not a sprint!!The Yanks are resting there guys and Johnny D.is tuning up for the Sox!!Not good,Please keep breathing!Dan the man,Yankee Fan

Arnieschmuck, you’re a real genius, Not!!!!!!!!!!! The Gospel of S-U-X speaks, and it’s arnieschmuck what an idiot!
Dandri is right the S-U-X looks tired, and TB and the ChiSox are not guarnteed wins the way the S-U-X play. The Yanks continue to put pressure on you losers, and you can’t afford to rest your guys. Like the entire season you can’t put the Yanks away! LOL!!!! Will the Yanks repeat history, and come from way behind and get over on the S-U-X again? Wait and see.

goffgc, thanks for responding to my post! Your “insightful” critique was…well….laughable.
Might I suggest you invest in a thesaurus. No, it’s not an extinct dinosaur so you can’t get a little plastic replica for your toy collection. It’s a useful tool, however, and you can learn to say “idiot” and “S-U-X” in new ways. Then you’d give the appearance, at least, of having an IQ over 75. Just a thought.

You fools are so cranky when you’re losing, and about to see your season go out the window. This is what happens when you can’t put an opponent away, you have only yourselves to blame. One last thing Dice-K isn’t going to win Roocikie-Of -The -Year either. The Yanks will smoke him again just s they have in the past. Face it he has looked only average against theYanks.

brendan…..you can see above what true yankees fans are like so please don’t mistake my constructive criticism for that anymore…..i’ll use my new fave quote re yankee fans from comedian doug stanhope….” it shows nor requires any originality, it’s like going to a casino and rooting for the house”

That’s a good quote, smckinney. However, Gooffcg25 is right, Dice won’t win ROY. Dustin Destroya is. Gooffcg25, keep making those Yankee fans look classy, it’s funny. And furthermore, Goofcg25, I remember when the Yankees were 14.5 games back and virtually everyone in the NY media wrote off the Yankees thinking they could never make the post season, if you want to talk about fools who get cranky when they’re losing. I had never heard anything so miserable as the belly-aching coming from the NY papers, as well as the Yankee blogs.

Sox fans may be complaining right now (when don’t they?), but the fact of the matter is we’re not losing at the moment. There has only been two week-long stretches where the Sox played sub-.500 ball. I wouldn’t call that “losing”.

And why are you still dwelling on this whole Matsuzaka thing? You must still be angry the Yankees got outbid for him.

It’s always an instant giveaway how old someone is when they use phrases like “Not!” and “Tool”. And not to be forgotten, my personal favorite “S-U-X” which is so clever because it looks like SOX, but phonetically sounds like “s–u-c-k-s”. Get it? Those Yankee fans are so witty. I also personally enjoy the need to add 17 exclamation points after calling people idiots or LOL at their own “jokes”.

And Arnie, you clearly forgot that they don’t give the kids a thesaurus until the 3rd grade.

Hey Arnie, if I looked up goffcg25 in a thesaurus, would it tell me it means sintinel? Oh that’s right, we’re not supposed to confuse the two.

Hey Bostonmax, excellent post, I finally get it! S-U-X, looks like Sox but sounds like *******-s! How brilliant. I just thought this guy couldn’t spell all this time. Boy, that guy’s got it all over us, doesn’t he!

I’m feeling much smarter now. Now on to some baseball.

Papi’s bat looks a little rejuventated. I thought his best swing was his double to left center Friday night. He doesn’t need to pull everything and he’s twice the hitter when he doesn’t. He could carry this club for a few weeks.

Who would have thought a series against the Rays would be so huge…… but this one is. Francona needs to pull out all the stops to win these three games.

Now I have to go home and put up with those ***** broadcasters from Tampa.

I only said sorry to Dan, fortunately,,. Goff,, talk to me when you have something resembling intelligence to discuss. And I guess we shouldn’t be doing name calling on Ian’s blog site,,not a very classy thing to do. Let’s just enjoy the next 6 weeks and I will let you know how happy I am when the Sox finish on top!!!!

Not a good trip for the people that have M.L.B. extra innings package. Devil Rays announcers, White Sox announcers for a couple of games and then Yankee announcers for 2 games. OUCH!!!!

Staats, Magrane, Harrelson and Jackson are the worst in the league. Michael Kay is so so to me, I know most of you don’t like him. Imagine listening to the radio on the Yankee radio network, those 2 are terrible.

i really have a lot of respect for wake being able to survive as long as he has with 1 pitch……that’s unlikely to EVER be done again especially with that one pitch being a 65 – 70 mph knuckleball……but that’s it…..he’s pretty much all or nothing…..hopefully this will be an all nite and they will give him/themselves a lil more run support than last time…..go bobby kielty….i assume he will be in right again since it’s a LH.

Hey guys, I’m not a Red Sox fan, but a diehard Yankee fan. The only reason I came on here for the very first time is to see what you guys were saying. Unfortunately, I noticed you have the same miserable troll who has been attacking, and insulting myself, and several others this entire season. unfortunately, I don’t think there is any way to ban him from your site or the Yankees site, and he will not go away if you ignore him. Believe me he is not representative of what a real Yankees fan is.goffcg is a classless individual with no life, and has very serious psychological issues. He also passes himself as sentinel, although he tries to deny it, bet everyone is on to him as he has also visited other blogs.So you guys are not alone in your misery when it comes to goff, unfortunately, all we can do is try to tolerate him the best we can. But if there is anyone who deserves the most sympathy is me as he focuses his name calling, and other garbage solely on me. All I can say is, HELP!!!!!!!!

I would agree about the home plate umpire tonight. There has been a few pitches that should have been called strikes. The Sox are making him work hard tonight. Pedroia set the tempo tonight, first pitch swinging and later scores.

Catching an A 1 knuckler is probably one of the worst spots you would want to be in baseball. Seem to recall Gedman catching one during an all star game, many years ago, and he was never the same after. Good luck Kevin!!!(Hough,,,,Neikro,,,it will come back to me)

Great game by the Sox.
Now, does anyone think that Francona will get any credit here for giving his team a good chance to win the last 2 days? I was worried when I heard Tavarez was starting Sunday, but he came thru. And tonite Wake was dominant. So the plan worked. If there had been some run support Sunday, it would look real good right now.

The strategy every time we face Kazmir is the same, pound him early, and not surprising thats what we did. Me being my pessimistic self, did notice however that the Sox didn’t make a significant dent in the Rays bullpen. Its tough to judge a GM on the trades he makes or strikes down. As of now however the non-aquisitions of Jermaine Dye and Mark Texieria in addition to the release of WMP look plum awful the way its panned out . . . . .

Dye: .295 BA, 18 H, 5 HR, 10 RBI, 8 BB, 36 TB

Texiria: .266 BA, 17 H, 12 R, 7 HR, 8 BB, 42 TB

Okay running out of time, just check TEx’s and WMPs scorecards for tonites games, they freakin’ crooked.

Acquiring Texeira would have required getting rid of Lowell, and I guarantee his numbers are better than Tex’s. So that “no trade” was a good one in my book.

The Red Sox dominated every single category of tonight’s game, that’s what you have to do against the Devil Rays of the MLB world.

And whoever mentioned not making a dent in Tampa Bay’s bullpen: isn’t that a good thing? If a starting pitcher is on fire, we WANT to see their bullpen. So I say rest them all up in case the Sox ever need a late-inning comeback.

Smckinny, I’m just curious as to how you’re going to put a negative spin on tonight’s dominating victory. Maybe the Sox should have won by 12 and 6 isn’t good enough for you? I eagerly await your response.

I agree with you zachary, I would also like to see all the naysayer Sox fans who have began to show up more and more here put a negative spin on this one. This blog has started to become unreadable at times due to all the negativity out there. We all can understand a little criticism at times, but every time the Sox lose they come on and stick it to them but when they play well, they are nowhere to be found.

The division lead will not be worse than 4 by next Tuesday IMO. The Sox play two of the three worst teams in the AL while the Yanks play 2 of the 3 best. 5 or 6 is a more realistic number but if we say 4 all the Sox have to do then is not get swept and 10 days from now they will still have a 3 game lead.

Wily Mo went 3 for 4 with a HR for the Nats tonight. In 3 games, he’s hitting .455 with 2 HR’s and a couple of doubles. Good for him. He never had a chance in Boston, and he was a class act. Never complained a bit. I hope he does well.

Great win for the Sox tonight. Two timely hits by Manny and Mikey = 4 Runs. Great job by Wake, good catching job by Cash after a shaky start and Delcarmen and Timlin did exactly what they were supposed to do. Solid game throughout.

zachary…..no neg spin for me……that was a good win……they were facing a guy they had struggled against and they looked pretty good offensively……as i said earlier wake is wake……typically he’s either unhittable or he get’s shelled…..not much in between….the past few games fortunately he’s been the former……i’m certainly not suggesting he change…….now i’d be really nervous about him starting game 7 of a playoff series but overall he’s a really good 5th starter…..again i think a lot of people mistake constructive criticism for negativity……my core issue with the sox over the past 2 mos has been their inconsistency……typically they follow up 1 or 2 good wins with 1 or 2 horrible looking losses…..hence their close to 500 over that timeframe……..we’ll see how that pans out the next 9 games as they are very imp IMO……. i think i’m usually pretty objective…..i even said right after that tavares pitched a great game on sunday….just no run support……i might be a lil too critical at times but i just find it hard to be real pollyanna and all positive about a team that’s finished the way this one has the previous 2 seasons…..and played the way they have the previous 2 mos…..but when they play consistently well i’ll be the first to ack it.

You know that since the ASG the Sox are 22-16, 0.578, for the season they are at 0.600. They are actually playing very consistently. They are 25 games over 500, I don’t think they have been higher then that. What’s confusing me is they are pounding the other teams’ aces in to dust then loosing the next game to guys with ERA’s over 6 with records as great as 1-8.
The only thing I liked about the MLB broadcast of the game last night was they had a camera set up that let you see the movement on Wake’s ball. I’d be damned to catch that cursed thing! That one that shot off Cash’s shin guard, he didn’t touch the ball with leather. But he still looked better as the game went on, oh, and he showed a nice arm throwing Upton out by two steps.

That’s what I’m worried about for tonight Sean. They are facing a guy who made them look silly his last time out, yet his ERA is 6.00+ and he is 2-8. Maybe if they take the same approach as last night and don’t get too deep into counts, they can pound the ball and get some runs early for Lester.

A note to any team who may play the Red Sox in the postseason: forget starting your ace in a deciding/important game, send your journeyman 15-year veteran with an ERA over 5 to the hill and he’s essentially guaranteed victory. Does anybody remember that game vs. the Yankees which Kei Igawa came into in the 2nd inning and tossed an absolute gem? We should have seen it coming from then.

Smckinny – well good to hear you’re not like the above people. Then again, it’s not easy to be better than the dregs.

I guess my point about Francona is as follows. Every (game) day he has to make close to a hundred decisions based on the game. Who to start in the line up? Where to play them? Who to rest? The batting order, how long to leave his starter in, when to bring in his releivers, how long to use them for. This and then all the other little things – when to bunt, when to steal, when to hit and run, when to intentionally walk someone…well there’s a lot. Not only does he have to make all these decisions, he can get criticized by people who have the knowledge of hindsight (everything’s easy after the fact).

And to top it all, I don’t think he gets nearly enough credit for the good decisions he makes – starting Tavarez on Sunday was a great move for several reasons: (i) Tavarez pitched well and gave the team a chance to win; (ii) it lined Wake up to face the Rays, against Scott Kazmir, against whom we have traditionally struggled; (iii) we are facing the Devil Rays, and so probably have less use for a long relief guy like Tavarez; (iv) it lines up the best of our rotation against the Yankees. We might now win those games, but we need to have our best going.

Cash did quite a good job all things considered. And he did his job like he said it himself: if Wake doesn’t know who’s back there and is pitching lights out, then he’s done his job.

A 6-0 Win = yup he did his job. If Cash does start hitting, anybody think that we may see him up in the majors permanently and not resign Mirabelli? I’m sure Kottaras needs some more time to develop so I’d figure Cash would get the nod as a backup and Wake’s catcher (if we choose to keep Wake that is).

Zachary: Correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t the start Sonnanstine had against the Red Sox his first against them? If so, usually, it’s a pretty big advantage for the pitcher simply because the hitters haven’t really gotten down a general pattern of his pitches yet. I’d expect differently this time. Plus Sonnanstine is something like 0-4 at the Trop.

If we win tonight’s game, we better beat Jackson tomorrow. He’s just bad.

It is looking good for a 6 game lead going into N.Y., Yankees battled back last night but there pen lost another extra inning game. Third time Lester has faced the Rays this year, he pitched great against them at Fenway last week. Let’s hope the Sox bats are alive and well tonight, Ortiz back in the lineup tonight. Ortiz will go deep twice tonight, I can feel it.

It was great to see the Sox hit Kazmir hard last night. It’s about time they did, Kazmir has been pitching great since the break.

I was really excited to see how well Kevin Cash (I guess we should call him KC) did. I know that there are 2 knucklers at Pawtucket (Charles Zink and I can’t remember the other) and he’s caught them both fairly well. But catching a guy in the bigs is a bit different. You know, the pressure that comes with catching Wake his first start!! He did exceptionally well!! Welcome aboard KC!!
Timely hitting too!! They gave Wake the breathing room he needed. He looked phenomenal!!!

But I too thought about how we’ve taken care of the aces and lost to the 4th and 5th guys in the rotation. Well, tonight I hope Lester is relaxed and confident enought to get the job done, but he also needs run support so….

brendan….i can tell you, and my wife could confirm, that in my case it’s not hinesight….i’m yelling the same things at the TV during the games…..which is where i typically have a problem with him……i give him credit when it’s deserved….the tavares and bucholz decisions, which i was critical of at the time, did work out well and i said so… …his in-game mgt however IMO leaves a lot to be desired…..particualrly where it’s related to pitchers…….i don’t blame him for playing kielty….i blame theo for not getting him a better option to use……zachary….i do disagree on acquiring texiera…..they could have rotated lowell, him, and youk for the rest of this year….texiera can’t play third but you get my point….i love lowell….he’s been the MVP for this team this year IMO……but he’s gone anyway at the end of the year….with schill, clement, lowell and potentially timlin off the books that’s appx 36mm avail….if you think boras ( aka a-rod ) hasn’t been made aware of that then you’re crazy……i’d say there’s a 90% chance a-rod is playing 3rd next year for the sox…..who else can/will pay him as much as they can?……and you know sox mgt is dying to make that happen……not saying they’ll pay him 36 a yr but 28 – 30 is a good guess…….plus texiera gives you 35 dingers and 100+ rbi’s every year, plays gold glove first base, and he’s only 27 years old…….as much as i like lowell he doesn’t provide that kind of off and he’s 5 -6 yrs older…..he’ll ( tex )be a FA after next year but he could have slid right into manny salary slot with a new deal…..can you imagine ortiz, a-rod, and texiera hittin 3,4, & 5?

Carter is a lefty-hitting first baseman who was batting .324 with 18 homers and 84 RBIs at Triple-A Tucson. He becomes the player to be named from Friday’s trade in which Washington got Pena and cash from Boston.

Carter’s defense at first base and left field is questionable, and the Pacific Coast League is friendly for hitters, but I do like the acquisition of Carter. The Sox do have a promising power-hitting first baseman of the future in Lars Anderson, but he is just 19 and at Single-A Greenville, so he is three or four years away from the bigs. I hope Epstein does not get carried away and let Lowell go so he can start Carter at first and move Youkilis to third. Carter could share time with Youkilis at first and Ramirez in left, but we will see if Carter is a legitimate Major League prospect, or just a Four-A type player like Jeff Bailey.

Jeff, I have a bad feeling Lowell won’t be back, which would be a shame. Theo loves to shuffle his infield and Lowell’s the only one not signed up for awhile. Unless he trades Youklis and Pedroia just to shake things up. Anyway, I hope Lowell stays, but the writing is on the wall, so to say.

jeff…..just read the article regarding jd drew on your site….which was spot on by the way…..but i would add 1 caveat…..he ( theo ) signed drew to be a “run producer” when there was nothing in his career numbers that suggested that’s what he was ( or is ever ) going to be….which shows a total lack of due diligence…..in basically 8 full seasons he’s only had 75 + rbi’s twice…… i mean if you look at his career stats other than HR’s he could possibly get to his career avg’s this year without a whole lot of effort…..theo loved/looked at one thing IMO, his OBP……which obviously does not necessarily translate to run production……i’m torn on your assessment of the lowell sit…..i think he’s great for the team….but theo has put them in a sit where the only place they can upgrade offensively is one of the corner inf spots…..barring a trade… and i’m convinced they are going to sign a-rod IF he opts out……which with nothing less than a dankees world series win i think he will……and looking at it objectively there is no doubt with his typical yearly numbers vs lowells this is a much better team…..he’s the tiger woods of baseball…..they’re both arrogant, pampered primadonna’s BUT wouldn’t you want tiger on your captain’s choice team?

Hi Ian, I hope your vacation is going well. I am going to have to agree with many of your bloggers. Gagne is as overated as he is overweight. On another note, I think you are right on with your assessment of Wily Mo Pena. I the Sox Management are either stupid, retarded or both for getting rid of who I think could be the best offensive player on the Redsox. Just look at the numbers Manny and Papi are putting up this season. Wily in just three games for the Nats is like 5 for 11 with 2HRs, double, single and 3 RBI’s. Drew on the other hand hasn’t hit a HR since June 30th and we still put him into the 5th spot in the batting order. What a joke he has turned out to be. And why on earth do we want Bobby Keitly??? He was let go from Oakland because he’s a bum .250 lifetime hitter… At least we got something in return for Wily in Chris Carter. I know a lot of people don’t want to hear this but we need Chris Carter’s offensive production at first base. Youkilis is a mediocre hitter with very little power or RBI production and has no business being a corner infielder for a contender club. I am sorry, look at his numbers if you don’t believe me.. Chris has a 313 lifetime BA in the minors and has shown excellent BB/k ratio and power numbers and would be a perfect fit at 1b for the Sox. Remember when we had Carlos Pena last year and we decided to stick with Youkilis instead. Youk’s usual end of summer downward spiral will continue into October and he will end with his typical numbers of .276 14HR, 70 something RBIs. There are far too many mediocre players getting big money on the Redsox like JD Drew, Lugo, Crisp, Keitly, Varitek

This whole year, Pena has done absolutely nothing worthwhile (aside from the grand slam vs. Baltimore early in the year). I love how everybody is second guessing the trade now that Pena has produced in an extremely small sample of at bats in the NL.

i would guess willy mo given a full year or say 600 at bats….is likely gonna have 175 – 200 k’s……30 – 40 hr’s, prob somewhere around 100 rbi’s….he’s gonna hit 250ish…with a low to mid 300’s OBP….it boils down to what you want….theo wants a high OBP….he doesn’t look at other intangibles IMO…. if he did he would have never signed drew….he only signed lugo becaaue he had no other/better option.

I still think that the WMP trade was good; he was never going to get enough ab’s here as long as management continues the love affair that they seem to be carrying on with JD Drew. I am the first to admit that he doing better but he’s still not worth, what is it somewhere between 15-17 million a year?? It’s obvious that Wily has talent and power, and I’m glad to see that he’s going to a team that needs both, oh, and also a team that we only have to play about once every other year.
As far as Gagne, I wanted tosay it but I held back, Harley thanks, I’m glad I’m not the only one who thinks Gagne could maybe start going for the salad bar.

not sayin he can’t become one but lester has a looong way to go to become a consistently eff major league pitcher……he just doesn’t have good enough command of the zone and he doesn’t have enuff velocity and/or movement to get away with misses around the plate….he reminds me a lot of tom glavine only nowhere near that precise yet….if he pitches the 6th please see my previous 100 or so comments re francona and pitching staffs…..he might get away with it but i wouldn’t risk it.

Ok middle of the 8th. If I’m Francona here’s what I do. Call down to the bullpen and tell Gagne to get a cab to the nearest pizza place. Okajima pitches the 8th Papelbon the 9th. Gagne fetches the pizza for the post game party.

Some pretty good discussion here tonight to chime in on. Regarding Francona, he has made some good decisions. He made one tonight getting Delcarmen out when he did. However, I think overall, he has made too many bad decisions regarding the management of the pitching staff and his daily lineups. I believe with the talent the Sox have, they should be further ahead in the standings than they are. However, it’s tought to chastise a manager who has led his team to the best record in baseball.

Youk, Pedroia and Lowell are the main reasons the Sox are where they are. Youk has had a lot of clutch hits this year. He’s been struggling, but he’s worth his weight in gold around the first base bag. He gives a thousand percent every day. He’s much better than a mediocre player.

Gagne will come back and contribute. He’s too good a pitcher to continue like he has. I still don’t think that trade needed to be made, but since he’s here, he’s got to help out. He’s got great stuff, it’s a matter of time before he gets it under control. He’ll be the closer tomorrow night, so we’ll see.

Francona makes another good decision in going to get Papelbon. He’s on a roll.

Hey, you seeing what I think I’m seeing? It seems as if the last few days Francona is keeping his pitchers on a shorter leash. As the season gets shorter so does the window for a pitcher to screw up? Ya think?

Congrats to Pap on the 30 save mark. The only Red Sock in history to have 2- 30 save seasons. And to think he was going to be the 4th starter. All this talk about Francona’s pitchers management, but that was Tito’s best move of the year.

okay please note this everybody….that was an exteremely well manged game by francona…..and when i say “managed” 90% of managing to me in MLB is handling your pitching staff…..even with a so/so effort from lester he made the decision/s to win or lose with his best at the end and this time of year that’s what you have to do.

you can’t really for a guy making 14 mm a yr but i almost feel sorry for drew……because he’s getting ortiz type money he’s expected to put up ortiz type numbers and he’s just not that type of player…..he’s alot more similar to youk than he is ortiz.

The Sox finally got to 26 games over .500 which is a sigh of relief. Next stop: 30 games and that should lock up a playoff spot. That’s not to say they should settle, but it’s something to keep an eye on.

Even though Paps had to get 4 outs, he only threw 15 pitches (with 3 strikeouts to boot), so I’m sure he’s available for tomorrow’s game. Even so, I think everybody would be more comfortable with a blowout victory tomorrow so that Gagne can throw another scoreless inning and get his confidence back.

smckinny, I don’t think anyone on this blog or in Red Sox Nation expected Drew to put up Ortiz type numbers. Everyone in the world, except Theo Epstein, thought Drew was not going to be worth what the Sox paid him. Someone said it above …. there’s nothing in his career to indicate he’s the kind of player Epstein believed him to be. Drew’s had a tough year, on the field, and off with his child’s problems. He’s still got a chance to do some good things for the Sox down the stretch and he’s looking better lately. He is a good defensive outfielder. I agree with you about Drew, my wrath on that signing has been moved fully to Epstein.

I want to see Gagne pitch tomorrow night, and I want to see him pitch well. If he gets his act together, between him and Papelbon, it’ll be lights out in the late innings. Can you imagine? Sox bullpen would be more devastating than it is.

Garrett Anderson has 2 doubles, a homer, and 6 RBIs… in the first 3 innings. Bout time the Yanks come back down to earth. Last night’s long game and tonight’s blowout should really put some stress on their already shaky bullpen.

I’m loving the 12-5 tally in New York now, especially as the in-progress headline on yankees.com talks about the “Yankees showing pulse.” Maybe that’s the offense, because Ron Villone sure as **** ain’t. Good game–I have very little confidence in Lester as a starter at this point, but a win’s a win. We should hopefully get a sweep tomorrow if Dice-K pulls back from his last outing.

Sox win again at home, I meant on the road. Only the Tigers have more wins than the Red Sox on the road.

Another great outing by Mussina. Yankee fans are happy that the Sox have Gagne and believe you me Red Sox fans are thrilled that Mussina is on the Yankees. I’ve been saying the Sox lead going into N.Y. will be 6, I think I will be off there. I think it might be a little bigger.

Lester and Schilling are the weak links in the rotation right now. I have more confidence with Schilling than Lester. That start for Schilling in N.Y. will tell us alot about him for the rest of the season. If he pitches well, he’ll be fine if he doesn’t pitch well that night I will be worried.

Must be nice to be able to come and go on a blog as you wish, dependent upon how “your team” is faring on that particular day.

Note: this is in reference to the annoying Yankee fans, not Vince.

Schilling said on his radio show that he would be open to coming to Tampa Bay next year since he wants to finish his career somewhere with some bright young pitchers (Kazmir, Shields) who could learn from him. I call BS, as Schilling is highly competitive and a winner, I doubt he would put himself in such a position.

I will be attending the game at Yankee Stadium next week in which Schilling pitches (if the rotations line up as they are now) and I am pretty nervous. If he pitches at all like he has since his return from the DL, it’s going to be a short night for him, the Red Sox, and my temper given the Yankee fans will obviously heckle me endlessly.

Nice to see the Sox taking advantage of the schedule right now. And even nicer to see the Yanks back to being “human” and losing every once in a while. Say what you want about the division lead. I keep focusing on that elimination number. Sox have a chance to make the dip down into the 20’s tonight. Let’s hope they play well.

As for Lowell, I really, really hope the Sox keep him. I understand A-Rod has better power batting numbers. But, he’s a diva with a negative club house presence. Mikey, on the other hand, is a rock solid positive impact on and and off the field. To me, it’s a total package of how much of a gamer you are.

Also note, Mikey is clutch, no matter the situation. He also has a World Series ring. A-Rod . . . . the debate is still out on his post season performance. And I think that’s an indicator of the type of player he is.

Yeah, I hope A-Rod blasts past Bonds’ home run record. I think that would be good for baseball. But, IMO A-Rod tore the welcome mat to shreds in his laughable attempt at a fight with ‘Tek and then slapping the ball out of Arroyo’s glove in the division series.

I personally want nothing to do with A-Rod, and EVERYTHING to do with Lowell. And I think Lowell wants to stay in Boston too. I hope Epstein keeps him. Baseball is about more than just stats. Shoot, look at the Yankees right now. When the season began they were arguably the best team in history on paper. They’re paying millions – to be 14 back at mid season and 6 back right now.

Well, better scram for now. Interestingly, I live in Atlanta. Braves played the Reds on Monday. Bellhorn is playing for the Reds! I was happy to hear he was back in the bigs. Sad to see him struggle the way he has since ’04.

The Yanks made their “run” by beating up on the lower-class of the AL. Now they are hitting a tough stretch of their schedule. Check out the Yankees Schedule since the ASB until the August 9th day off prior to the Detroit series

Rizzo: “small village of runners” huh? I was thinking more along the lines of several villages. :-D

10 RBI? That was just amazing.

Amusing how Goff was knocking Gagne, Gagne goes out and pitches an inning of scorless relief (granted, in a loss), and the Yankees just get killed last night (not to mention the loss before that).

Anyways, IMHO, Lester’s been pitching like the way he has because he hasn’t had a full season of being down at the minors, etc. like some other players might have. I want Buchholz up in the bigs as well, but I’m not going to be pushing for it because I want Lester to straighten himself out and with the roster expansions coming up, I expect Buchholz to be up in the bigs anyway.

OK, I’m not even going to mention the word that is a verb describing what you do with a broom, but another win tonight would be sweet. (Wow, that was close, I almost typed swee….)

Matsuzaka against Jackson should be a sure thing, but that’s pretty much what I said to my wife about the Matsuzaka-Sonnanstine matchup on our way to Fenway last Wednesday, and look what happened.

One thing I noticed about these past two games against Sonnanstine: when I looked back at my scorecard in about the 8th inning last Wednesday, two thirds of the strikes thrown by Sonnanstine were called strikes, as opposed to swinging strikes or foul balls. I wasn’t keeping track last night, but the Sox seemed a lot more aggressive against him. That could have been Francona’s doing, Magadan’s instructions, or it could just be that they had seen his pitching a week ago and knew what to expect. Whichever it was, I was nice to see. Patience at the plate is a good thing, but watching them take all those called strikes against a guy with a 1-8 record and 6+ ERA at the time was aggravating as all get out.

The Yankees have Pettitte going against Lackey tonight. I’m pretty tired from staying up late the past two nights to watch the Yankee games, but that could be a great game to watch, from a purely impartial baseball standpoint. Maybe I’ll take a nap after work so I can stay up past my bed time again.

Just saw the article about Matt Clement’s rehab. Doesn’t look likely that he’ll pitch in the majors this year, but I’d love to see him pitching for the Sox again next year. He just seems like a classy guy who keeps his mouth shut and does his job. He didn’t make a bunch of excuses last year when things went south, and he’s working his tail off to get back in good enough condition to pitch again. He was 13-6 in 2005, and in at least 6 starts that year he left with a lead only to have the bullpen lose it (they didn’t all wind up being losses for him, but they could have been wins). If he can get back to pitching like he did that year, I think he’d be a real asset for Boston. I wish him all the good fortune in the world.

Checked a little further on those stats. In all 6 of those games where the bullpen coughed up the lead, the Sox went on to win by one run. In those 6 games, the Sox only scored a total of 14 runs. Clement kept them in the game and gave them a chance to win. He used to be a really good pitcher, and could be again.

He just hasn’t been the same pitcher since he took one off of the coconut from Carl Crawford a couple years back.

Beckett, Dice-K, Wakefield, and Lester are all pretty much guaranteed to be back next year. The Sox have too much potential in the minor leagues to bring Clement back, plus assuming either Tavarez or Snyder (perhaps both) resign for the long relief role, Clement is pretty much useless.

i’ve got about as much chance of pitching for boston as clement ever does again…..i find it imp to believe that even theo is that bad…….unless schill agrees to pitch for a lot less than 14mm…..add bucholz to that group and there’s your likely 08 rotation….whoever said it previously is right IMO…..it’s hard to call a game against TB with one of the worst pitchers they, or anyone, has going pivotal but i really think it is…it’s important for sept that they get out of this habit of playing 1-2 good games and then 1-2 bad games…they need to string together a prolonged stretch of good baseball and finish strong….it’s lookin way ahead but i really think home field adv in the playoffs this year will be critical.

I believe Schilling is done. He’s got nothing left. He’s not a good enough pitcher to get by with 84-88 mph fast balls. If he can throw in the 90’s, he ought to get out there and do that for as long as he can. He won’t be back in Boston next year.

Bucholz is the real deal. He will be in next year’s rotation. He was very poised in his one start when it would have been easy for him to blow up.

Clement could also be back. He feels like he owes the Sox, and he’ll have to sign for cheap money. If his arm is sound, he’ll be a good pitcher.

Anyone who doesn’t think A-Rod makes the Sox a better team is looneytoons. Keep Lowell, move Lugo, put A-Rod back at short where he belongs. As far as the Tek and Arroyo incidents go, I’ll take a player with that kind of fire who wants to win any time, and you can bet whatever you want that Tek would too.

Lester has good stuff but needs to gain command and confidence. Someone compared him with Glavine. Lester throws harder and has a better curve. Glavine has pinpoint control and is an illusionist with the way he changes speeds. Hey, Garry knows pitching. Joe Magrane’s got nothing on me!

i think schill is a smart enough pitcher that he could still win 8 – 12 games a year just with location and control BUT nobody, boston inc., is gonna pay him no 1 starter money….if they don’t think buch is ready schill for the right price is certainly a MUCH better option than clement IMO….clement benefited from inc run support in 05 when he was healthy……who, other than theo, would take on lugo at 9mm per year? only way he’s moveable is if boston eats prob half ( or more ) of his rem salary/contract.

Clement is pretty much just a sentimental favorite for me. I’d like to see the Sox keep him on and be able to put him to use, but others have pointed out very good reasons why they probably won’t. Maybe they could make a long reliever out of him. They’re probably just holding onto him so that they can deal him when they can get more value for him. If they didn’t think he was going to regain at least some of his former abilities, they probably would have released him by now. Even if it’s for another team, I’d like to see him make a comeback.

Why is everybody so eager to get rid of Lugo? I thought this whole trend of dumping on him ended when he stopped hitting .185. He has 61 RBI’s from the leadoff/#9 spot and (aside from that month in which he hit around .070) he has been a solid hitter. He has speed and plays a decent shortstop.

I understand that A-Rod is a great player and all of that but could you seriously bring yourself to cheer for him? How Yankee fans embraced Johnny Damon (arguably the face of the 2004 Red Sox) is beyond me, and I believe that A-Rod coming to the Red Sox would be twice as difficult to stomach for Boston fans.

I would personally like to see him end up somewhere in the NL where we wouldn’t have to deal with him as much, but as for the ENTIRE Boston infield, I am more than satisfied.

I wouldn’t be surprised one bit if Matt Clement is signed to an incentive-laced deal next year. It would be a low risk for the Sox. Clement was a good pitcher before the line drive and the injuries. If he is healthy again, the Sox should give him a chance. Beckett, Dice-K, Wakefield, Buchholz and Lester will likely compose the rotation in 2008. I imagine the Sox will pickup Tavarez’s option since it is affordable, and he can spot start and serve as a long reliever. Bowden and Masterson will probably start at Pawtucket. The Sox will likely either acquire a pitcher via trade (perhaps using Coco Crisp as bait) or sign a free agent starter since you can never have too much pitching. I like the idea of signing Clement if the price is right. He is motivated, he has good stuff when he is healthy and he wants to prove that he can still be an effective starter at the Major League level.

One more thing, it is extremely shortsighted to base Clement’s performance on one start in the playoffs. The Sox did not play well as a team. Clement wasn’t the only one who struggled. He had good numbers before his injury. It just hasn’t worked out as expected in Boston. No way should the Sox pay him $8 million a year (or $9 million, whatever his contract is), but an incentive-based contract would be worthwhile for the Sox and Clement. Of course, since guys like Gil Meche, Ted Lilly and Vicente Padilla received $10 million plus deal last off season, I imagine a team will fork out a significant change for Clement if he shows that he is healthy again.

Zachary, I agree with you about Lugo. He has recovered from his long slump, and he has been productive at the plate. He has been prone to making errors on routine plays, but overall I like having him at shortstop. I would be surprised if he is not the starting shortstop in 2008.

i for one wouldn’t give up on lugo…..i think the shortstop circus has been in town long enough for this team….except him for what he is….he’s slightly above avg def and no doubt will prob hit better the next couple of years…..as for clement i hope he goes somewhere and does well and he did have decent stuff when was healthy……but he walked too many people….he was like tavares IMO as a starter…….he tended to implode in a short period of time…..hence an era of close to 5 in 05 when was healthy…..as for a-rod for this year ( and the past couple ) i hate him….but if he was putting up 40 & 125 for the sox yeah i’d find it pretty easy to cheer for him…..and if you wouldn’t then i’d have to question why….take away the names ( lowell and a-rod ) compare the numbers and it’s a no brainer…….and again i like lowell a lot….he’s the mvp of this years team IMO.

jeff…maybe i’m wrong but you seem convinced and/or eager for the sox to move crisp……is it just to make room for ellsbury?…if so i don’t get why….crisp has played gold glove caliber def for 2 yrs ( 2 errors total ), obviously has more power and while his avg has not been great he has steadily imp that as well….do you really think ells has shown any more potential? he has to get on base to use that speed and i’m not sure he’s that much faster…..plus he’s barely a 300 hitter in the minors….how is he gonna do again ML pitching?

Clement and Arroyo were the glue holding the pitching staff together in 2005 up until Matt was clocked. Wells and Schilling were on and off the the DL, Wake was almost playing staff Ace that year. I was always excited to see Clement pitch before he got hurt, and I’ve been rooting for him to get it back. If he wants to pitch and is healthy I’d sign him. You don’t get a guy healthy then just cut him loose to pitch for someone else when all he wants is to make good on his contract.

I still want to laugh at the ‘fans’ that think Francona is doing a bad job. He has managed to keep a healthy pitching staff, the best record in the league and a bench that is ready to come in and play if needed. Go backseat drive your wives, you don’t have anything here to whine about. You sound like the Yankees fans calling for Torre’s head (whether or not they are right is open to debate), nag nag nag.

I agree with you 100 percent on Clement Jeff. Isn’t he a free agent after this year? I think he is.

Zachary, I’m not so hyped up on getting rid of Lugo, but given the option of A-Rod and Lowell, or Lugo and Lowell, the choice is pretty easy.

I think Sox fans would really embrace A-Rod. First, I don’t think of him as a true Yankee. Despite all he’s done in NY, he still hasn’t really been embraced there. However, all of that is secondary to the fact he is 100 percent pure freakin baseball player who would come to Boston and bust his hump here. It wouldn’t take long for even the most passionate of Sox fans to love that.

I am 100% positive that A-Rod is the one member of the Yankees hated most by Boston fans. Can anybody dispute that?

With Jeter, I really don’t know anybody who can hate the guy. It’s more like respect and slight annoyance at how all-around solid he is. Posada has never done anything to irk Red Sox fans, we LOVE Mariano for all the blown saves, Matsui is a Sox killer but is too quiet to stir up any problems.

Giambi is a ‘roid head and Fenway may boo him, but he’s pretty harmless. Cano is too young and new to the rivalry to be despised. Johnny Damon may get booed a lot but when it comes down to it, you can’t deny that he was such an integral part of the Red Sox teams he was a member of.

I agree that Rodriguez hasn’t been embraced in New York, so what makes you think he will be embraced in Boston? He just doesn’t have the same charisma as a Big Papi, the flakiness of Manny, or the competitive, hard-nosed style of Nixon, Pedroia, Papelbon, etc.

I don’t think anyone hates any of the Yankee players. I think everyone hates the Yankee mystique and the overseers of the Evil Empire, Steinbrenner and Cashman. We hate the success they have enjoyed, many times at our expense. We hate that they took Clemens, Boggs and Damon and have always seemed to have the upper hand on us. But put A-Rod in a Sox uniform, and not only would we embrace him for the way he plays and what he would do for us, but it would also be a slap in the face of the Evil Empire. How much more joyful could it get? Think about it.

Of course, A-Rod could wind up with the Angels too and all of this could be for nothing.

I don’t know that I’d agree with you about A-Rod being most hated by Sox fans, but you can’t be far off the mark. Where I do think you hit the nail squarely on the head is his personality. Not only does he not have the charisma of Papi, he doesn’t have any charisma at all. He’s just not the kind of guy that inspires teammates or fans. From a skills standpoint, nobody should think twice about wanting him on their team. But I don’t have any difficulty in understanding why New Yorkers haven’t warmed up to him. He’s just sort of….meh.

If you think that Fenway won’t cheer for A-rod as a member of the Sox, then you must be an idiot. Anyone that will hit 40+ homers EVERY season and help the team win will be embraced here. What are you going to do if he hits a game winning homer? Boo him? Of course not. But that is just what he’ll be likely to do.

Believe me, I hate A-rod as much as the next guy with a B on their cap, but to say you wouldn’t like having a guy who can supercharge your offense is crazy. I think if Theo does pull the trigger on the A-rod deal, first bedlam will ensue in RSN, people will be completely disgusted with Theo, then he’ll win a game for the Sox and everyone will forget he slaps like a girl.

If you don’t think A-Rod has the competitive, hard nosed style of Pedroia, Nixon, Papelbon, and even Mike Lowell, you haven’t been watching him play. He runs out every grounder and popup, he takes extra bases, slides hard, dives for balls and basically grinds out every play. He’s about as hard nosed as they come.

like i said a-rod is no doubt an arrogant primadonna…..he’s also, barring injury, going to go down as one of the 5 best all around hitters in history most likely….NY fans haven’t “embraced” him because it was thought when he came there they would be a lock to win it all
( repeatedly ) and that hasn’t happened……i like most boston fans right now can’t stand him…….but looking at it objectively IF you have a chance to have him on your team and don’t take it your crazy….the numbers are just too good….that’s why they ( boston ) traded for him in ’04…..rem….he agreed to re-do his deal to come to boston it was MLB that nixed it due to the way the contract was restructured.

the angels owner has already said he couldn’t see paying one 25+ mm per year…..now that could change but i really don’t think they could afford to do it without overhauling their roster significantly…..IF he opts out i would think the only other team in contention for him would be the cubs whom he could play short for….and play for piniella……but with their ownership sit and what they’ve already invested in soriano, lee, ramirez, etc. i have a hard time seeing that happen either.

I am not disputing A-Rod’s numbers, as a lot of you are pointing to. Yes, he’s good. I’m not that ignorant. What I am arguing is that he doesn’t have the character make-up to play in Boston. Players like Jeter and Ortiz were made for big market teams because they are charismatic, accessible to the fans, and have a sense of “the big moment” that other players do not. A-Rod does not seem like that type of player.

It took Rodriguez three years to adjust to New York, and now that he finally has, he is opting out of his contract in search of more money. It’s a complete slap in the face to the Yankees and their fans. Do they deserve it for the way he was crucified for the first 3 years there? That’s debatable. But more importantly, what does that tell you about his character?

I’m sorry but that’s not the type of player I would prefer on my team, even if it ensures the Red Sox win 100+ games for the next 5 years.

A lot of you are so concerned with signing the “best” players (A-Rod, Texeira), but that’s exactly what the Yankees have done for the past 8 years and it hasn’t done them much good. The Red Sox pride themselves on key character guys in their organization (Millar, Mueller, Nixon, Youkilis, Pedroia, Lowell to name a few).

It’s just my opinion so it obviously doesn’t mean much, but I will become seriously disenchanted with the Red Sox if they sign A-Rod because that is not the team that I have grown up borderline-obsessed with.

On A-Rod i think that he is one of the best hitters in the history of baseball and his numbers are amazing, he does play his tail off. Im a huge redsox fan but i cant be blind and not want to see how a great player he is, however if i had to choose between him or mikey ill take mikey because of all that he brings to the club, he has a great personality and IMO he is one of the guys that brings the team together, those intangibles are so important on a team performance and i have not seen that in A-Rod. Lets not forget mikeys defense. Id like to think this club is something more than just numbers, wether its batting average or $$. If not we would become those yanks. If A-Rod ever comes here(which i dont think will happen) i hope im wrong and he brings a lot more than his batting numbers.

I woulld luv to have a-rod on the sox, but where would he bat, i know the sox wudnt move papi from 3rd and mannny wouldnt be happy batting 5th, so a-rod wud be 5th, but 5th wont be good because he wont get the at-bats needs. he probly wont bat second.if the redsox get a-rod it wud be tought to fit him in, and he is not a man of the fans like papi.

well he hasn’t opted out yet that was just conjecture/educated guess by me….as far as his personality and his embracing the fans…..two words for ya…..manny ramirez……sox fans luv manny why?……NUMBERS…..not cause he’s out there huggin babies b-4 games……zachary, i don’t get your logic dude but i respect, and your entitled to, your opinion….but to suggest their approach hasn’t worked for the yankees though….remind me again who the sox have finished behind every year for the past 8 seasons again? well hopefully until this year anyway….. god bless 04 but come on….take that year away and compare the overall records playoffs inc over that time….if this opp presents itself and they don’t jump on it it’s insane and just bad mgt.

as for where he would bat? you make that kinda cash you bat where they tell ya and like it….my guess though would be 5th…..with bostons top of the order OBP, typically, he’d get plenty of at bats with guys on.

From a baseball standpoint signing A-Rod makes alot of sense. Finacially I am not too sold on that. It would probably be a 7 year deal worth 210 million. I hope it wouldn’t restrict the Red Sox with so much money tied up to one player. If A-Rod ever was signed by Boston, Ramirez would be dealt away.

If the Sox do sign Clement next year it would be for only a 1 year contract laiden with incentives. No team out there is going to give him a long term deal like the one’s Meche, Lilly got. Those guys were at least coming off injury free seasons. Clement hasn’t pitched since the summer of 2006. The Sox could do a Wade Miller type of deal, which I wouldn’t be surprised if that happened. Don’t we want players that play with some passion and fire inside them. Matt Clement is certainly not one of those guys. His makeup has always been questioned thru out his career. Part of Clements legacy with the Sox is his playoff outing against the White Sox. Look at his playoff numbers for his career. Why do we want a player that folds come playoff time pitching with the Red Sox. Clement is a type of player that you want the Red Sox to face next year, not pitching with them next year. Look at Clement’s numbers since he got hit in the head, not good at all.

Manny is embraced because of his numbers AND because of his quirky personality and, as odd as it is, his fallibility. Have you ever heard of the phrase “A-Rod Being A-Rod” because I don’t think I have. Manny is on his own planet yet still somehow gets the job done, that is why we love him.

The Sox have finished behind the Yankees in the regular season, yes. But then what? If you’re a perennial playoff contender, then getting into the postseason starts to mean less and less while the results in October mean everything. The Yankees have not been getting it done in October, for whatever reason. I personally subscribe to the idea of team chemistry, which is what I attest to New York’s lack of success in the playoffs.

Compare the Yankees clubhouse to the Red Sox clubhouse. It’s night and day. Why is that? Because the Yankees (used to be) a group of superstars who did not click.

I say “used to be” because the Yankee philosophy has changed and now guys like Melky, Cano, Hughes are stepping into bigger roles after coming up through the Yankees system.

As far as the Sox priding themselves in key characters in their organization, they don’t pride themselves all that much since Mueller, Millar, Nixon, along with Pedro, Cabrera, and Damon, all of whom were key characters and an important part of the 04 chemistry, are all gone. And by the way, I love Mike Lowell, but he was a forced throw in to get Josh Beckett. The Sox didn’t necessarily want him. He’s a gem and I’d love to see him return.

As far as Manny is concerned, he’s a great hitter, period. He’s a horrible base runner, a sub par outfielder, and very frequently doesn’t hustle. To be honest, I’m a little tired of his antics but he gets away with it because of his production at the plate, which by the way, isn’t so spectacular this year.

If the Sox were to get A-Rod, I think it unlikely Manny would be around next year. Your outfield would be Crisp, Drew and Ellsbury. So you’ve traded Manny for a younger more productive hitter in A-Rod and a significant defensive upgrade in either Ellsbury or Crisp in left. Not a bad trade. Papi bats third, A-Rod fourth and plays short, and Mikey hits fifth. Lugo is gone, Ellsbury leads off, Pedroia second, and the dream goes on.

SMcKinny, all indications point to the Sox starting Ellsbury in center field from day one next season as they did Pedroia at second this year. Ellsbury has a .312 career average in the minors, but you should never fall in love with numbers at the minor league level – whether someone hits .300 or not, hits 30 home runs or not, etc. What is most important is how the skills are developing. Ellsbury is a differance maker. He is disruptive on the basepaths, he is a prototypical leadoff hitter the Sox have lacked (since Damon, though Ellsbury does not have Damon’s power), he hits for average and plays exceptional defense. He is the future, starting in 2008. You’ll see him on the post-season roster this year. Crisp is decent, but he is expendable. That is what happens when your team has a loaded farm system. Crisp has value, so the Sox should be able to get a good return in a trade.

As for Clement, he is a low-risk signing, so I think it will definitely happen. I think a lot of teams will be interested, but Boston has the upper hand since the Sox have treated Clement very well. Of course, if someone offers him a much better deal, I’m sure Clement would take it. I see the Sox acquiring a starter, or signing one, to compete for a spot in a rotation that will already have Beckett, Matsuzaka, Wakefield, Buchholz, Lester and Tavarez (for spot starts). Masterson and Bowden likely need more seasoning in the minors. Hansack is a candidate if he remains with the team. He has great numbers at Triple-A this year. But even if the Sox resign Clement, I envision them bringing in one more veteran arm to provide more depth to the rotation.

I don’t see a team that would pick up Lugo’s contract. ( after this season 27 million for the next 3 years ) If the Red Sox did trade Lugo they would have to eat alot of that deal. Like they did with Reintera when they traded him to Atlanta. That is the only way they get rid of Lugo at the end of this year. I don’t see that happening but we will see.

I’m not one of these people that want to get rid of Lugo. He has been doing well since July, roughly hitting around 330. His defense has always been average at best. He’s on his way to committing 20 to 25 errors on the season.

I do agree that, if the Sox sign a power bat in the infield (like an A-Rod), they will trade Manny and play Crisp in left, so in that scenario, your guy would stay in Boston, SMcKinny! Crisp played left in Cleveland.

If Clement is coming back in 08, he wants to be in the rotation. He’s not coming back to go to the pen. I say good luck to Matt Clement and I am looking forward to the Red Sox pounding him next year if they meet.

As I have written many times before, the Yankees have all the advantages that every other team – including the Sox – does not. The largest media market in the country and one of the largest in the world. Lots of revenue resources. This gives Steinbrenner the tools to spend, and that he does. Every year, the Yankees are built to win it all, so when they don’t, it is a failure whereas for other teams reaching the World Series alone is a success. The Sox are getting closer to that level, but they are still millions of dollars away from the Yankees. The Yankees do prove that money does not buy success. There is no reason why they should not go deep in the post-season every year, so the fact they have not won it all since 2000 is a failure that fans of every other team cherish, and rightly so.

I wouldn’t want Clement in a relief role. I’m sure his arm and shoulder cannot handle it after years as a starter. The more competition for spots in the rotation the better, so that is why I would not mind seeing him brought back.

What competition would Clement provide in Fort Myers? I don’t see it. He should be given alot of credit by working hard down in Fort Myers and certainly has a desire to pitch again in the big leagues but I hope it is with some other team.

Red Sox should be another team that has all the advantages. How much $$$$$ did they spend this past winter? What I like most of the Red Sox is they have actually developed some good young players within the last few years and some good young players are on the way as well. That is what I am excited about.

well i’m sure you would know better than i what their plans are…. he’s ( crisp ) not necessarily my guy….it’s just based on what lil i’ve seen of ellsbury both in terms of limited action in boston and minor league numbers where he’s done anything that impressive or where he would be any kind of an upgrade at this point…..regardless of where he bats……he still reminds me of juan pierre in terms of his all round game.

Brian, you are right about Lugo’s contract and the same is true for Manny’s. It would be very difficult to find someone to take either one unless the Sox help out with cash. That being said, after all the dreams and discussion, I really think it would be unlikely the Sox could go after A-Rod.

You mentioned Renteria and I thought the Sox gave up too soon on him. I actually think Lugo will be more acclimated to Boston next year and will do much better.

gsm52, I thought the Sox dropped the ball on Cabrera. He was flawless for the Sox in post-season and he seemed like he fit in with everyone on the team.

Renteria just didn’t seem to fit in with Boston. Of course it didn’t help when Tony LaRussa hit Boston ( doing his book tour ) and said Renteria was too sensitive to play in Boston. Renteria made alot of errors that year. He complained of the infield at Fenway ( we have never heard that one before ) The funny thing about it was that Renteria that year made more errors on the road than at Fenway. He has found a home in Atlanta playing for the Braves.

What exactly happened to DP? I am not watching or listening, just periodically checking gameday and saw he left the game after running the bases. So the injury could not have been that serious. Anyone want to fill me in on where and how bad it looked

Brian, I will never for the life of me figure out why the Sox didn’t keep Cabrera. He would have stabilized the infield for years, and may even have become as popular as Nomar. Anyone know what the Angels gave him to sign?

The Angels signed Cabrera to a 4 year contract that is worth 32 million. Talking about a good move by the Angels. Sox misread the market on Cabrera. Cabrera in 14 post-season games in 2004 didn’t make any errors.

Jackson is one these pitchers that someday it might click with him. He has so much talent and was a top pitching prospect of the Dodgers. Has a high 90’s fastball and a very good slider at times. Anytime you get a pitching prospect out of the Dodgers system is nothing but a good thing.

Can you hit better than Ortiz? lol…..Ortiz legged out that triple last night. Lowell is pretty slow as well but not as slow as Tom Brunansky. Parked cars move better than Brunansky. He was so slow down the line.

One rule in baseball that is just STUPID. Littleton gets a save in the game because he pitched at least 3 innings and in the eyes of the official scorer he pitched well so he is rewarded with a save. How pathetic is that. I could have gotten that save and who knows maybe Eric Gagne as well.

Figures on a night that Texas scores 30… we are scoring 1 run through 6 against a guy with a 3-12 record and 5.70 ERA. Now we’re losing. I don’t even need to watch or hear the details. 5 hits, 5 walks, Ortiz thrown out at home… I guess we’re back to the “Do anything possible to lose” strategy… Let’s see how we do against that great Rays bullpen… The Unstoppable Edwin Jackson has thrown 103 pitches.

I just heard George Hendrick is coaching first for Tampa. I remember him well. I especially remember 1970 when he hit the longest home run I’ve ever seen off me in Burlington, IA. That thing must have gone 500 feet as it disappeared into the darkness over the left center field fence.

One thing I remember most of George Hendrick is he is one of the first guys to wear his pants down to his ankles. Most of the players back in the late 1970’s or early 1980’s didn’t. Hendrick was a guy that made the All Star game a few times. Had a nice little career.

Yea bosox, the save rule is an odd one. A guy comes in with a 4 run lead and gives up 3 but leaves the bases loaded for example, won’t get a save. But a guy that goes 3 innings in a 27 run game gets one.

This loss would be a tough one to swallow. 11 left on and only 2 hits allowed. You gotta think they will score 1 in these last couple innings. The key is for Timlin and probably Gagne to keep them from scoring.

I remember George because of his home run, but I don’t remember a lot of other players on other teams. However, some of my team mates that made it to the big leagues included Stormin Gorman Thomas, Darrell Porter, Jim Slaton, Rick Auerbach, and Pete Garcia. That was the Midwest League which included such glorious stops as Quad Cities, IA; Waterloo, IA; Danville, IL; Wisconsin Rapids, WI; Appleton, WI, and Burlington, IA. There were some long freakin bus trips on a 1950’s vintage bus with a standard transmission which we had to push to get started more times than not. Former Braves first baseman Earl Torgeson was our manager.

Gorman actually started as a shortstop, but he made Bootin Don Buddin look like an All Star. He hit the same wherever he went…. .230 and 40 home runs. He hit over 50 in AAA in Sacramento. He was a good guy. Whenever the Brewers came to Fenway, he always took the time to say hello and sign stuff for people I had with me.

Darrell Porter was a genuine nice guy, and one **** of a catcher. He was barely 18 when we played together in Clinton. That was Class A and it was pretty apparent he was going to do well. I honestly never saw him do any drugs, nor did I ever see him drunk. Maybe that was before he got involved. That stuff ultimately killed him, but he did a lot to help others understand the consequences of substance abuse.

Unfortunately, I did not stayh in touch with these guys. After my brief minor league career, I wound up in the Navy for 32 years.

Tough loss, especially considering the bases should have been loaded with 1 out since Lowell’s ball bounced on Delmon Young. But it happens, hopefully the Halos can sweep the Yankees out of Anaheim and we can retain the 6 game lead.

Manny needed a blow, he played in both games of that double-header and if not tonight, would have gotten one of these games in Chicago off. I don’t mind Tito’s decision making there but at least let him swing the bat in the 8th or 9th. He is the best pure hitter on the team, don’t let him rot away on the bench. I know Drew singled, but Manny could have done greater damage with a gapper, or a 2 run homer.

14 LOB. I think the Redsox score 0 earned runs in 10+ innings against the Rays bullpen in this series. Thats pretty impressive given their last place, nearly 7 ERA. Just when it looked like we were taking a step forward…

sad part is i’m not even surprised, or mad, anymore……you can just see it coming with this team……i can’t even blame francona for this one…….bottom line is they just don’t have anyone other than lowell who has stepped up offensively……they have got to be on some kinda record pace for runners getting thrown out at home……hopefully the 3 base coach can follow magadan out of town……6 games against the worst pitching staff in all of baseball in basically a week and in 3 of em you have a total of 6 runs!! magadan may not be resp but at the very least based on the padres last year and boston this year he’s guilty of being an offensive jinx…….if i were dice-k i think i’d go back to japan…..that’s 11 times they’ve scored 2 runs or less when he starts…..that’s so pathetic it’s almost weird……the young trap in the 9th wouldn’t have mattered ortiz would have been out at second anyway…..better hope beckett wins tonite cause i got a feelin it could be a long weekend……well it’ll prob be another split but i wouldn’t be surprised if chi takes 3 of 4 comsidering how the pitching how the ptiching matchups look.

i hope somewhere in this “loaded” farm system there is a catcher who can actually hit the ball…..love tek and he was great for several years….but facts are facts and the facts are the last 2 years he has killed this team offensively…..i suppose it’s to be expected of catchers when they hit their mid-thirties…..i don’t know but i’d but he leads MLB in runners LOB the last 2 years and this team doesn’t start getting some prod from him, youk, and drew it’s going to a long sept…..i’ve defended drew and still feel that way BUT he’s approaching 50 games without a homerun….that’s just hard to fathom….of course i forgot this team doesn’t hit homeruns anymore……they’re too busy building pitch counts.

OK, we’re back to 5 ahead, we’re up against the WhiteSox (not the RIGHT SOX), we have Beckett on the hill while the Yankee’s are starting Clemens. Should we worry more about the Wsox or Clemens?? I’m probably speaking too soon, or throwing out a jinx, but I’m hoping for a meltdown or an implosion by both th eother sox and Roger.
I say:

As frustrating as a loss that was, we are still 9-3 against the Devil Rays for the season. Worst case scenario, the Sox finish up 13-5 against them, and that’s still dominant. It’d be nice to go 18-0 but cannot be expected. If you take care of your division opponents, your record will show it. 30-17 vs. the rest of the East: no other team in baseball has played nearly as well as the Red Sox have in division play. So there’s a positive.

The only teams who have winning records against Boston are Detroit, Seattle, and Oakland. And Oakland is the only team left who we see again and chances are, they won’t be playing for much when we see them at the end of September.

The Sox should take 3 out of 4 from the White Sox, with the over/under for my hatred for the White Sox announcers resulting in hitting the mute button starting at 13 minutes.

First time posting, and I have to ask along the lines of “team chemistry” as well…With Schilling makes so much noise with his gums flapping on nonsense issues in the middle of the season – were are his loyalties??? Stirring up issues with Bonds and now saying/threatening to go to Tampa if Sox mgmt doesn’t give in to him???

I really don’t look at Schilling’s comments about Tampa Bay as “threatening” or even some sort of ultimatum.

The truth is the Red Sox probably aren’t going to pay him the money he wants, so if he wants to go to Tampa Bay then let him. At least we know he won’t go to New York, and that’s the only team which would result in him getting booed upon returning to Fenway. But if he comes back in a Devil Rays uniform, Boston will have nothing but respect for him (ie: Orlando Cabrera with the Angels, Kevin Millar with the Orioles).

“team chemistry” is only relevent in one way….that’s having 25 guys commited to winning….period…..you don’t have to go to dinner together or even like each other as long as when you step on that field you all have the same goal….win the game!…**** last year larussa and rolen didn’t even speak to each and they still won it all…….having talent is a whole lot more important than everybody playing cards together in the clubhouse……if it did have any merit, which it doesn’t……..take away 04 and eveidently over the past 10 years the sox are the ones who need to work on their chemistry if you look at their overall record vs those guys from NY.

are they commited to winning?…..that’s up to each person to det…..i think they are……but i would also suggest that they and this team in general is a direct reflection of their mgr…..just kinda vanilla…..you don’t see any passion or real desire……does that mean it’s not there? i don’t know….that’s one reason i say i’d like to him ( tito ) challenge this team more instead of just taking everything in stride all the time…..i mean think about anybody ever seen tito look/act mad after a loss?

Why does it look like that? Or did you just cleverly come up with that gem and have to post it?

Good news for those with the Extra Innings package: only tonight’s game will be broadcast on the White Sox network. Tomorrow and Sunday’s games are on NESN, while Saturday’s is the FOX Game of the Week.

Now if Tim McCarver is announcing on Saturday, it doesn’t seem like such great news after all.

Good point about Tito being so vanilla…He needs to light a fire under these guys and get a little excited about something (other than a car on eBay). I’ve been a huge Sox fan since I was in diapers, and they waste away so many great teams and talent…I hope I’m wrong this year.

Meta

The following are trademarks or service marks of Major League Baseball entities and may be used only with permission of Major League Baseball Properties, Inc. or the relevant Major League Baseball entity: Major League, Major League Baseball, MLB, the silhouetted batter logo, World Series, National League, American League, Division Series, League Championship Series, All-Star Game, and the names, nicknames, logos, uniform designs, color combinations, and slogans designating the Major League Baseball clubs and entities, and their respective mascots, events and exhibitions.